1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to automatic ice-making equipment for refrigerators and the like, and particularly relates to such systems which are available for use with bottled water.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known in the prior art to provide means for automatically feeding water into the freezer section of a refrigerator, in order to make ice.
An example of one such arrangement is disclosed by Gottschalk in U.S. Pat. No. 2,921,447. As there disclosed, the ice-making apparatus of Gottschalk's invention contemplates a plurality of tubes in which ice is formed.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,771,749, Miller discloses an improved cube-freezing and automatic dispensing assembly of durable construction which can be economically produced with a minimum number of working parts.
Harbison et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,226,939 disclose a freezer compartment arranged to support an ice storage receptacle so as to position a flexible ice tray to cause ice pieces to be harvested and discharged into the receptacle
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,163,025, Dahlgren discloses an automatic ice-making system discribed to be an improvement over the Harle U.S. Pat. No. 3,089,312. Harle disclosed an ice-maker providing means for manually harvesting ice pieces without completely removing the freezer tray or mold from the refrigerator and for automatically refilling the freezer tray with water following a harvesting operation. The patent to Dahlgren had as its purpose an improvement over the Harle technique, and particularly relating to improved means for controlling the supply of the water to the freezer tray. This is accomplished by supplying water to the freezer tray only when the tray is in its normal freezing position and empty.
Linstromberg, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,775,994 disclose a "refrigerator or the like with externally mounted water valve." In the construction taught by Linstromberg et al., the water flow control valve is disposed exteriorly of the refrigerator cabinet adjacent the ice-maker mechanism. In one example, the patentees teach that the valve means may comprise a solenoid-operated valve and that the means for connecting the valve to the support may include a quick disconnect, both for the electrical connections of the solenoid to the electrical control and for the fluid flow connections from the valve to the duct leading to the automatic ice-maker.